2017-04-02

AAISParty - 20 years old

We are obviously interested in feedback - we do not do this sort of thing often.

There are a lot of things to arrange with a party...

Food: We had a professional BBQ laid on, but also sweets which went down well (more with the adults than the children I think) and at the end of the evening pizza. We have some sweets left over, but mostly I think we had the right balance and nobody was left hungry.

Music: Some music to start then a live band on until the end. What I liked is we had the marquee which was louder and the live band, but the meeting room in unit 2 close enough to hear the music but quiet enough to talk to people. A good set up.

Geek: We had a special event amateur radio call sign GB2OAA set up, and (supervised) use of radios. We had a slide show showing staff and a history of 20 years of A&A which was surprisingly popular. We had WiFi. We had detailed Q&A on how the network works (by me). We had our museum of old routers and phones (and "the internet") as well as showing people bare board FB2900 PCBs. We had a DALEK and Orc!

Cuddly toy: Many FireBrick dragons, and the kids that came loved it all.

Weather: As ordered, sunny and warm and dry, perfect... Thanks for that deity of your choice.

It was nice to meet some customers.

What could be improved - well the name badges went down well and we managed almost everyone, but a key lesson is not leaving it to eventbrite. We need irc handles and maybe twitter handles on badges next time as well as WiFi details, etc. But they are a souvenir for those that came.

On a personal note - I was worried because of Thomas. We had him on one of the slides even (thanks to my daughter for allowing that). One person said they had not spoken to me since this happened and asked if I was all right. Even with my daughter there, and her partner, nobody made any fuss. Thank you all for that. I was really actually quite worried. Nobody wants to cry in front of a tent full of customers!

Congratulations on your 20 years Adrian - You have done well as have your staff. Glad your party went well given your recent personal circumstances. Sending you my best wishes both as a friend and an industry colleague.

Congratulations on the 20 years! Interested to read about GB20AA - I've been a customer for many years and never realised you had an amateur radio connection. I wish I'd worked the station, Andrew G0MBL !

Everything I write here is just my honest opinion and not a statement by my employer, etc, you get the idea. If you find any words or pictures menacing or offensive, or likely to impair your computer, or alarming or distressing, stop reading now and don't come back (and don't forget to block me on social media too). Nothing here is legal advice. Everything on this blog is without prejudice, just in case. Comments are moderated to weed out obvious spam, so do not appear instantly. You take responsibility for any comments you post. Always bookmark www.me.uk as I may change the URL blogger sees.

And please, if you don't like what I post, say so - comment - discuss...